Give Thanks

With next week bringing us Thanksgiving, I thought it would be appropriate to issue a challenge to all of you in preparation for the holiday. If you are a teenager, I want you to reflect on how challenging it is to stand strong in the face of peer pressure and refuse to drink alcohol. In pondering this, I want you to be thankful for this challenge. It will help you to be confident in your decisions and in your ability to protect your growing mind and body from the harmful effects of alcohol.

It is no secret that flying upstream in the face of peer pressure is hard. Very hard. If you are a parent, it is also hard to refuse your children alcohol when it is something they are exposed to so often among their friends. But be strong! Be thankful for the opportunity to show love to your children and to yourself by standing strong and preventing the misuse of alcohol among minors.

In giving thanks for these things, also give thanks for everything else in your life for which you are grateful. Spend time with loved ones and friends. If alcohol is a part of your family’s or friends’ holiday celebrations, be firm in your decision not to drink if you are a teen. If you are a parent, choose to model wise behavior with alcohol consumption and refuse to give alcohol to minors.

I hope your Thanksgiving festivities next week are special and restful!

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